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Tag: Homestead

  • The Final Word – After Chasing, Eliminating, and Winning, Kevin Harvick is the 2014 Cup Champion

    The Final Word – After Chasing, Eliminating, and Winning, Kevin Harvick is the 2014 Cup Champion

    Watching the Cup finale was like watching most Nationwide races. Few of the participants actually matter. You have your winner, you have those who actually are competing for the prize, and then you have the odd spectacular, special moment. Sunday’s race marked the end of ESPN’s run, which meant no more Allen, no more Dale, no more Andy, no more Rusty, no more Brad, and no more Nicole. A special moment, indeed.

    It could have been a special season for Jeff Gordon. He was best overall this year, just as he was the dominate wheel man for more than half the laps at Homestead. But it is no longer 2001, and at the end of the day he was 10th on the track and sixth in the official standings. In the old days only Joey Logano would have had a chance to catch Gordon in the final race. As pure a way of determining a champion it might have been, those days are gone forever.

    Logano’s day wound up being the pits. With 74 to go, he was riding fifth when they took time under caution to do a few repairs that dropped him to tenth. With 47 to go, he had worked his way back to fourth when he returned to the pits under caution, but a hung lug nut left him 11th on departure. No problem, if not for the pits. Another caution, another stop, another miscue as a dropped jack dropped Logano from sixth to 20th with 20 to go. Game, set, and match, as he finished 16th.

    Things seemed to be about to go Denny Hamlin’s way. They had the pit strategy, if only they could go green. They did not. The cautions allowed those with fresher tires to move past, and his title hopes went up in smoke over the final laps. Hamlin wound up seventh.

    That left two at the front. Ryan Newman had been the weak sister amongst the contenders for much of the race, but pit strategy gained them track position. The car was the best it was all night but only one problem remained.

    His name was Kevin Harvick. On the final restart, Harvick once again separated himself from the field, leaving Newman staring at a back bumper. The best finisher amongst the four would win the title, and you cannot do much better than winning the race to erase all doubt.

    Once we had a points system that rewarded consistency at the expense of wins over the course of a season. Then we got a 10 race playoff where only the top 10, or 12, or 13 were eligible for the crown after the initial 26 events. Now, we have a system where a win gets you into the Top 16 vying for the title in those final 10 races, where every three events they eliminate four contenders until you wind up with the best among the final four on the final day winning the title while racing 39 non-contenders.

    The records show that Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt won seven titles each using the original system, Jimmie Johnson won six through the Chase, and Kevin Harvick is the 2014 Cup champion through the elimination series. Each champion just as valid as the man who preceded him.

  • Hot 20 – How happy will you be after the smoke clears at Homestead?

    Hot 20 – How happy will you be after the smoke clears at Homestead?

    As the final four prepare to thunder to their fate at Homestead, not everyone is thrilled with the new format to determine the Cup champion. Again and again I read how appreciative some are for NASCAR allowing them to do other things on a Sunday afternoon than watch a sport they have abandoned. It would seem more than a few do not see the elimination format as one that might determine a true champion, or promote a style of racing they can support.

    Some might argue that Denny Hamlin should not even be in the mix considering his season long points total. The thing is, a win and an automatic berth into the Chase allowed him to take a couple of races off to mend, and he took advantage of it. You can’t fault a man for using the rules to his own advantage.

    You might find some fault in Joey Logano. Sure, he is not universally loved, but you cannot fault with what he has done on the track this season. Pick any format you like and Logano is a contender. No Chase, and Logano would trail Jeff Gordon by 29 points. The old Chase format has Logano ahead of Kevin Harvick by the same amount. Even my own format in setting up my Hot 20 all season, awarding a 25 point bonus for a win rather than just 3, has Logano within seven of Gordon over the course of the season.

    Hell, I even put together some stats for if we had a 31 race regular season, followed by a five race playoff format that was restricted to only the top 20 contenders. Logano, along with Harvick, Hamlin, and Ryan Newman, would still have their shot, but so would three others. The good news is that Brad Keselowski, Matt Kenseth, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. would still be realistically in contention. The bad news is that with the results from Talladega and Texas, Jeff Gordon would not.

    No format would satisfy everybody. There is no question the present system, from the win and in method of making the Chase, to the elimination rounds, to the final dash, has caused some excitement. While season long challengers like Gordon, Keselowski, and Earnhardt are no longer eligible, the loss of playoff favorites has not reduced the legitimacy of eventual champions in other sports. If Major League Baseball was truer to his roots, with its playoffs restricted to the champions of 4 eight team divisions, the San Francisco Giants would not have even been a contender. They would have finished behind the Dodgers and Cardinals in an expanded NL West, never mind becoming the World Series champions.

    As they say, it is what it is. Logano, Harvick, Newman, and Hamlin will each be driving to claim their first Cup championship. All are worthy, all are talented, and each should be acceptable as the 2014 champion as they would have claimed the prize under the rules of the day.

    That said, Jeff Gordon remains our hottest of the hot over the course of the entire season.

    BOLD = A contender for the championship

    Hot 20

    1 – Jeff Gordon – 4 Wins – 1305 Pts
    2 – Joey Logano – 5 Wins – 1298 Pts
    3 – Brad Keselowski – 5 Wins – 1248 Pts
    4 – Dale Earnhardt Jr – 4 Wins – 1233 Pts
    5 – Kevin Harvick – 4 Wins – 1214 Pts
    6 – Jimmie Johnson – 4 Wins – 1120 Pts
    7 – Carl Edwards – 2 Wins – 1093 Pts
    8 – Matt Kenseth – 0 Wins – 1093 Pts
    9 – Ryan Newman – 0 Wins – 1093 Pts
    10 – Kyle Larson – 0 Wins – 1049 Pts
    11 – Greg Biffle – 0 Wins – 997 Pts
    12 – Kyle Busch – 1 Win – 986 Pts
    13 – Jamie McMurray – 0 Wins – 975 Pts
    14 – Denny Hamlin – 1 Win – 971 Pts
    15 – Kasey Kahne – 1 Win – 956 Pts
    16 – Clint Bowyer – 0 Wins – 943 Pts
    17 – Austin Dillon – 0 Wins – 939 Pts
    18 – Paul Menard – 0 Wins – 904 Pts
    19 – Brian Vickers – 0 Wins – 900 Pts
    20 – Kurt Busch – 1 Win – 899 Pts

  • The Final Word – At Phoenix we Learned Being Liked and Respected can Earn Forgiveness

    The Final Word – At Phoenix we Learned Being Liked and Respected can Earn Forgiveness

    There are drivers you like and there are drivers you do not. If a driver should be a whiney revisionist weasel who does his best to avoid cashing the checks his mouth keeps on writing, I am not a fan. This is how I once viewed Kurt Busch, and it is how I presently see Brad Keselowski. For him to not make the Chase finale came as a welcome conclusion to the activities at Phoenix.

    I love Kevin Harvick. He does what he does and if you do not like it, you know where you can find him. At Phoenix, that would have been up front. He dominated the Harvick 500 from start to finish and every restart to win his fourth of the season to punch his ticket into the final four.

    I am not a fan of Denny Hamlin or Joey Logano. To be honest, I cannot tell you the deep dark reasoning behind it. I guess I just need some black hats out there on the range to go with the cowboys in white. They finished fifth and sixth respectively and had enough in the bank to go through to the final round themselves. Only tough luck has kept Hamlin from taking a championship in the past, while the 24-year old Logano is a legitimate contender no matter what measurement one wishes to use. One day, I might even get excited when they take the checkered flag.

    Jeff Gordon has been outstanding in 2014, robbed of something better by Keselowski at Texas. Ryan Newman, whose eight win season in 2003 was trumped by Matt Kenseth’s title run, used Kyle Larson’s car as a buffer on the final turn on Sunday to pick up the spot that got him in. In doing so, he also put Gordon out. Fan reaction to that move, and the end result in the Chase standings, I dare say, is much different than if it were Keselowski bouncing off Larson to end the dream for Gordon.

    By in large, it comes down to one driver being basically liked while the other is essentially not. It is not a universal feeling, granted, but by enough that it matters. While it might affect how many t-shirts he sells, being liked by the fans is not as important as being respected by your peers. They do not have to love you, but they need to have an appreciation for you that, despite his unquestionable talent, Keselowski still appears to have failed to earn.

    What the boy needs is charm and the cojones to meet head on any challenges that comes his way. Sure, he might get shaken like a rag doll from time to time, but he won’t get punched, unless someone has the cash to spend. With his talent in the car and his gift of the gab outside of it, he has the tools to jaw and charm his way through damn near anything. J.R. Ewing did it. So did Dale Earnhardt. Why not Brad? Heck, he could even continue to wear the black hat.

    Why was Brad driving the winning Nationwide car at Phoenix on Saturday? Why are any Cup guys running that circuit enough to claim 21 of 32 events this season, and nine of the past 10? Maybe NASCAR just wants to kill the circuit and this is what they have come up with. Chase Elliott has already claimed the season crown, winning three races in Texas, Darlington and Chicago against Cup talent. The lad turns 19 at the end of this month. We need to see more young talented drivers in this circuit like Chase Elliott, and less of the likes of Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski.

    To see either in more than one race at Homestead is likely, but neither will be in the running for a title in the season finales. What we will have will be four drivers, each seeking this first Cup championship, and come Sunday one of them will be successful. Nothing to not like there.

    CHASE CHAMPIONSHIP FOUR…
    1 – Kevin Harvick – 1 WIN – 4102 Points
    2 – Denny Hamlin – 4112 Pts
    3 – Joey Logano – 4111 Pts
    4 – Ryan Newman – 4103 Pts

    FOUR SHOWN THE DOOR…
    5 – Jeff Gordon – 4102 Pts
    6 – Matt Kenseth – 4100 Pts
    7 – Brad Keselowski – 4095 Pts
    8 – Carl Edwards – 4088 Pts

  • Hot 20 – Phoenix isn’t Tombstone, but it Might be Hard to Tell the Difference after Sunday

    Hot 20 – Phoenix isn’t Tombstone, but it Might be Hard to Tell the Difference after Sunday

    NASCAR sought unpredictability for its championship run, and they have it. If not for the Chase, Jeff Gordon would just need to hold off Joey Logano, 26 points back, over the next two races and the title would be his. If the Chase format had not changed from last year, Logano would be the man in charge, with Kevin Harvick 35 back with two to go. Not much drama, not terribly unpredictable, and to change that up is the sole reason NASCAR changed things up this season.

    Heading into Phoenix on Sunday, none of the eight remaining contenders are locked in. Logano, Denny Hamlin, and Ryan Newman look strong, but they are out of trouble by only 11 to 13 points. A bunch of things can happen to see that savings account get all used up. The other contenders are within six points either way of making it or losing their chance to race for all the marbles. At Homestead, the best finisher of the remaining four claims the crown, a track that historically is a good one for Carl Edwards, Harvick, Hamlin, and Gordon. Still, you got to be in the mix to contend, and you got to have a good final day to claim the prize.

    Jerks need not apply. If someone takes you out of the running, there are 38 cowboys (and one cowgirl) out there with nothing to lose at Miami. A simple “oops” can make one’s day while ruining somebody’s season. When a lad tries to fit his car in a hole it just does not fit without risking taking one or both of the leaders out, and tries to walk away from it later, somebody is bound to get a wee bit ticked off. Somebody might end up a tad bloodied. Somebody might find their bid for a title “accidently” wrecked. NASCAR wanted drama. NASCAR wanted unpredictability. NASCAR got it. While the O.K. Corral might be 200 miles away from the track in Phoenix, Keselowski might find himself facing a hell of a lot of Wyatt Earps out there this weekend.

    No matter how these “playoffs” end, the top two drivers throughout this season have been Gordon and Logano. It would be a shame if either fails to make it through Phoenix. It would be a damn shame if the third best fellow, Keselowski, also failed to make it through. Yup, a damn shame. Bad things befalling Bad Brad? Dramatic, yes, but unpredictable? Not so much. What remains to be seen is where, by whom, and when.

    *Drivers awarded 25 (instead of 3) bonus points for a win
    BOLD = Current Chase contender

    Hot 20

    1 – Jeff Gordon – 4 Wins – 1263 Points
    2 – Joey Logano – 5 – 1259
    3 – Brad Keselowski – 5 – 1208
    4 – Dale Earnhardt Jr – 4 – 1196
    5 – Kevin Harvick – 3 – 1144
    6 – Jimmie Johnson – 4 – 1115
    7 – Carl Edwards – 2 – 1064
    8 – Ryan Newman – 0 – 1060
    9 – Matt Kenseth – 0 – 1052
    10 – Kyle Larson – 0 – 1018
    11 – Kyle Busch – 1 – 976
    12 – Greg Biffle – 0 – 962
    13 – Jamie McMurray – 0 – 945
    14 – Clint Bowyer – 0 – 939
    15 – Austin Dillon – 0 – 933
    16 – Kasey Kahne – 1 – 933
    17 – Denny Hamlin – 1 – 931
    18 – Paul Menard – 0 – 883
    19 – Brian Vickers – 0 – 875
    20 – Kurt Busch – 1 – 862

  • Corey LaJoie is ‘Taking One Leap of Faith at a Time’

    Corey LaJoie is ‘Taking One Leap of Faith at a Time’

    Corey LaJoie is a third generation driver with one win in the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour series, three wins in the ARCA Racing Series and five wins in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. In 2012 he was named as one of the NASCAR Next, “tomorrow’s stars, today.”

    In June 2013, LaJoie took the next step in his career, signing a development deal with Richard Petty Motorsports. Since signing with RPM, however, he hasn’t seen as much on-track action as one might imagine.

    His previous starts this year were a NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Kentucky in June where he placed 16th and two races in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with a 17th at Kentucky (June) and a 10th at Bristol in August.

    However, LaJoie is now poised to finish out the season on a high note, competing in four of the remaining five Nationwide Series races, as a result of a partnership agreement between RPM and Biagi-DenBenste Racing.

    In his first race of the four race series, LaJoie finished 26th at Kansas Speedway in his No. 98 Medallion Financial Ford. The following week at Charlotte Motor Speedway, he completed the race in 24th, after getting caught up in a multi-car accident on the first lap of the race. He also made his second Sprint Cup Series start at Charlotte in the No. 77 Ford of Randy Humphrey Racing, finishing 35th.

    After this weekend’s races, he tweeted, “It was great to race on my home track in front of family and friends. I learned a ton. Just taking one leap of faith at a time.”

    I spoke to LaJoie in Charlotte and he expressed a similar sentiment of appreciation for the opportunities he’s been given at RPM.

    “They’ve been working hard,” he said. “It’s tough to find the money right now but they felt the need to get me in some races before the year was over. They’re a great bunch of guys over there and I’ve learned a lot.”

    Although this partnership is a one-time deal, he is hopeful that the alliance might extend into next year but for now, LaJoie is focused on this season.

    “Hopefully we get some money rolling in and I’ll get a couple of good races in this year and we’ll see what the future holds but all that is for a later date,” he told me.

    LaJoie is intent on using the crucial seat time to hone his skills behind the wheel.

    “I need to learn how to slow down. In everything else I drove, I’ve had to make up for the lack of equipment,” he explained. “You can’t do that in the Nationwide Series. The drivers are too good and the cars you’re racing against are really good.

    “The days of driving 110 percent and making up those extra couple of tenths are over,” LaJoie continued. “I’ve got to learn how to drive 95-100 percent within the boundaries of what the cars are giving me and try to work on that and get better.”

    He’s looking forward to the two remaining races with Biagi-DenBenste Racing, “They’ve got some good cars and some really good people over there,” LaJoie emphasized, “so I’m excited to see what we can do.”

    Next up for the 23-year-old LaJoie is the O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway on November 1 and the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 15.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Hot 20 – Change Can be a Good Thing, as Long as we are Sure it Is

    Hot 20 – Change Can be a Good Thing, as Long as we are Sure it Is

    Change where change is necessary is a good thing. NASCAR wanted us to keep watching, so out went the system that determined a champion based on season long performance. Winning is big, but it was not big enough, so in came the automatic Chase bye to race winners who at least put in the time to challenge Danica Patrick in the standings. One bad race and one’s Chase ambitions came to an end, but now a win keeps one in.

    Change to create unpredictability has proven to be good. A driver got hot and drove off with the Chase, but that was addressed by dividing the Chase into four segments and a fresh slate of points for the survivors. Going into the final at Homestead, four will have an equal chance of taking the prize. It could come right down to a race to the line to determine things. Excitement, drama, unpredictability.

    Next season, more change and another attempt to create unpredictability. A car drives off into the sunset and the list of potential contenders for that event dwindle down, barring some unfortunate event. Reduce horsepower, make the cars more difficult to drive, and allow for more passing is one way to address the predictability factor. If I can watch a race and have two or four or more challenging for the win, all the better. If every track can produce the uncertainty of a Talladega without the carnage, who could possibility argue against such change?

    Quality racing deserves quality announcing. The broadcasters are there to enhance the action, to make us yearn to be there ourselves, but far too often they fail to even keep us in front of the tube. With 43 cars ramping it up to over 180 miles per hour, there is no such thing as a boring race, just boring, unskilled, uninspiring announcers. Hopefully this is another change that has been addressed for next season.

    Yes, change can be good. It can come in the form of new blood challenging and winning a championship, such as Brad Keselowski. A driver coming of age, like Joey Logano. A driver giving notice of what might be expected in the future, as Kyle Larson is doing. Change that sees what is old become new again, like Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. at or near the front.

    Still, it is good to recognize what we already have that is good, like Jimmie Johnson striving to match the title accomplishments of Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. Our Hot 20, with our own twist of awarding 25 bonus points to race winners, showcases those stars who have shone most brightly this season.

    I like the win and you are in format, but I am not totally sold on having 31 non-contenders on the track at Kansas this weekend at the same time as the dozen who are vying for a championship. If only we could figure out a way to have a real playoff, maybe one that is reserved for only the top 20 to be a part of, that might be one more change to consider. I will leave it to you to ponder the merits of that.

    BOLD = Currently in the Chase

    HOT 20

    1 – Jeff Gordon – 4 Wins – 1110 Points
    2 – Brad Keselowski – 5 – 1068
    3 – Joey Logano – 4 – 1044
    4 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 3 – 1044
    5 – Jimmie Johnson – 3 – 980
    6 – Kevin Harvick – 2 – 949
    7 – Carl Edwards – 2 – 906
    8 – Matt Kenseth – 0 – 894
    9 – Ryan Newman – 0 – 873
    10 – Kyle Larson – 0 – 859
    11 – Kasey Kahne – 1 – 833
    12 – Greg Biffle – 0 – 825
    13 – Kyle Busch – 1 – 817
    14 – Clint Bowyer – 0 – 817
    15 – Jamie McMurray – 0 – 805
    16 – Paul Menard – 0 – 781
    17 – Austin Dillon – 0 – 779
    18 – Denny Hamlin – 1 – 759
    19 – Kurt Busch – 1 – 743
    20 – Brian Vickers – 0 – 730

  • Hot 20 – Chase Races Should be Reserved for Only Championship Contenders

    Hot 20 – Chase Races Should be Reserved for Only Championship Contenders

    On the track, everything is just hunky dory for Dale Earnhardt Jr. For our money, he sits as the best on the season to this point, but there are a couple of storm clouds just over the horizon. Steve Letarte moves from crew chief to a pretty face on television next season, and the National Guard might be heading into the sunset with him. To be honest, we have long known about one, and have had suspicions about the other. Still, for you and I, these questions marks do not need to bother us until next year. We got a championship run to cheer on.

    The championship. Once, the best at the end of the year was given the crown. Then we got the Chase, and it was a race between ten to a dozen contenders as it evolved, with more than 30 without a ghost of a shot still out there over the final ten weeks. Now, we go with 16 drivers, whittle them down by four every three weeks, until only four of the 43 who will take to the track at Homestead are still in contention, with winner (or the best of the four that day) take all.

    We have not quite reached perfection just yet, though the change in the points system itself is about as close as it gets. Start, you get a point, and win you get 43 plus one for leading the last lap, one for leading the most laps and three as an extra bonus for winning. Not bad, but as I suggest in these rankings I would bump that bonus from three to 25.

    As we have seen, a win and you are in gives teams an immunity for bad behavior as long as they retain credit for the victory and stay amongst the Top 30 in the standings. This season, that means compiling an average of just 16.5 points per race, or being somewhere between 26th and 27th each week. Teams that can not do that simply do not matter. A win has put Denny Hamlin, Aric Almirola, and Kurt Busch into a shot at contention, even though all sit outside the Top 20 in points. They would slip in, forcing the likes of Kasey Kahne, Austin Dillon, and Paul Menard out into the cold. Personally, I would rather give a larger points bonus, and not a free pass to single race winners, so I might see real contenders vie for the title rather than pretenders who had good fortune just for one day.

    Why quit there? The Cup series has run 36 points races per season only since 2001. It was between 28 and 33 events between 1972 and 1998. So, let us cut it off at 31, then let the top 20 vie for the championship in a five race playoff. A real post-season, just like all those other big boy leagues, with just twenty contenders on the track and the rest stay home. So, what happens if one driver runs away with it over the final five? Give him or her the damn title and celebrate. Sometimes those other kids see their championships decided in four game sweeps. They seem to survive it.

    *Win bonus expanded from 3 to 25

    1 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 806  Points – 3 Wins
    2 – Jeff Gordon – 801 – 2
    3 – Brad Keselowski – 753 – 3
    4 – Jimmie Johnson – 699 – 3
    5 – Joey Logano – 677 – 2
    6 – Matt Kenseth – 668 – 0
    7 – Carl Edwards – 662 – 2
    8 – Kevin Harvick – 652 – 2
    9 – Ryan Newman – 642 – 0
    10 – Kyle Busch – 633 – 1
    11 – Clint Bowyer – 617 – 0
    12 – Kyle Larson – 595 – 0
    13 – Greg Biffle – 590 – 0
    14 – Kasey Kahne – 589 – 0
    15 – Austin Dillon – 588 – 0
    16 – Paul Menard – 562 – 0
    17 – Denny Hamlin – 554 – 1
    18 – Marcos Ambrose – 541 – 0
    19 – Brian Vickers – 539 – 0
    20 – Tony Stewart – 537 – 0

     

     

  • Homestead Championship Preview

    Homestead Championship Preview

    It’s hard to believe it but the longest season in sports is just about over with. In a few days, three new NASCAR champions will be crowned. Matt Crafton leads the Camping World Truck Series standings and only needs to start the race in order to clinch his first title. Austin Dillon is the points leader at the Nationwide level with Indy 500 winner Sam Hornish Jr. stalking him from only eight points back. The owner’s title is still up for grabs as well and will come down to Gibbs’ No.54 car versus the No.22 of Penske Racing. In Cup, 5-time champion Jimmie Johnson can almost taste his 6th Cup and only needs a top 23 finish to ensure the crown is his but Kenseth and Harvick will be ready to pounce just in case the unthinkable happens and that No.48 stumbles. Here’s a breakdown of what is at stake in the season finale, who the players are and my predictions regarding who will emerge victorious when the checkered flag falls on 2013.

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series

    As I previously mentioned, this battle is all but over. Matt Crafton has only won a single race this year but 19 top 10’s in 21 races is more than enough to compensate for the lack of visits to victory lane. He leads Ty Dillon by 46 points and when he takes the green flag Friday night, it will preclude anyone from challenging him no matter what happens during the race. This is Matt’s 13th full-time season in the Truck series and to finally win that first title will be such a relief for him and his team. Speaking of his team, the fight for the owner’s title is not quite over with just yet. ThorSport leads by 23pts which is still a fairly comfortable margin but the man and team chasing them happens to be Kyle Busch who has won four races and posted seven top five’s in just 10 starts this season. Yeah, he’s kind of a big deal when he shows up at these Truck races.

    My Prediction: The No.3 team will not lock Matt Crafton up in a Port-O-Potty and he will easily win the driver’s title with probably another top ten finish to end his impressive year. I also believe that ThorSport will hang on against the hard-charging Kyle Busch and his No.51 team to win the owner’s championship.

    NASCAR Nationwide Series

    Austin Dillon is a former Camping World Truck Series champion and his opponent is a former winner of the Indianapolis 500; Sam Hornish Jr. A mere eight points separate these guys and a slip up by one will all but hand the title over to the other. Dillon wants it because he’s moving to the Cup level in 2014 and Hornish wants it because, well, he currently doesn’t have a ride for next year. The owner’s standings is an even closer battle with just four points between the top two and things have gotten fairly hostile between the rival teams as of late. Joey Logano will pilot the No.22 for Penske Racing which is currently in command of the points while Joe Gibbs Racing wisely has Kyle Busch in the No.54 car. An interesting detail that should not be overlooked is the fact that Penske is entering a third car in the race which will be driven by none other than Brad Keselowski who has vowed retaliation against Busch for spinning him out at Kansas. Will he fulfill his promise? I highly doubt it but will he do everything he possibly can to make Kyle Busch’s day a living hell? Of course he will! That’s why he’s in this race…to take points from that No.54 and the No.3 as well as do his best impression of a moving roadblock when necessary.

    My Prediction: This will be the most enthralling title bout of the weekend and Austin Dillon will win the driver’s title with a top five finish while the No.54 steals the owner’s championship from Penske by winning the race.

    NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

    Jimmie Johnson is at it again! After winning five straight championships and taking a two year hiatus from the big table in Vegas, the California native is closing in on the #SixPack. Three drivers mathematically have a shot at taking home the hardware but it is going to take a catastrophic failure on the No.48 or a crash to even give gentleman Matt and the pugnacious Harvick a chance. It’s unlikely but can definitely happen though. Jimmie may seem infallible but in reality, bad luck can just as easily bite him as it can his adversaries. In fact, his last two finishes at Homestead are 36th and 32nd. In 2011, he spun out with what was an awful car and in 2012, he suffered rear gear failure so don’t fool yourself into believing this thing is over with. Remember, this is NASCAR. We set race tracks on fire and break our ex-teammate’s back; okay. If Jimmie were to have some unforeseen issues that consequently costs him the title, imagine the dogfight we would have between JGR newbie Matt Kenseth and lame-duck Kevin Harvick! RCR hasn’t won the Sprint Cup championship since 1994 with Dale Earnhardt; that was nearly 20 years ago and it’s been a decade since Matt was last crowned champion.

    My Prediction: Jimmie Johnson survives and wins his 6th championship but if he were to falter and it came down to the two guys chasing him, I think Matt Kenseth would prevail seeing that JGR has practically dominated most of the 1.5 mile races this year.

    No matter which drivers and teams are able to call themselves champions when the day is done, I can honestly say that I’ve enjoyed the 2013 season. It hasn’t been the best year in NASCAR’s 65 year history but it was certainly an interesting one. Good luck to all those chasing championships this weekend and may the best (or luckiest) man win!

  • Two Champions, Two Races, One Victor

    Two Champions, Two Races, One Victor

    NASCAR is gearing up for a duel in the desert with the penultimate event of the longest season in sports just a few days away. With 3rd place Kevin Harvick facing a 40 point deficit, this title bout has become a showdown between two proven champions and worthy adversaries. Jimmie Johnson is seeking a 6th title which would only further solidify his place among racing’s immortals while Matt Kenseth hopes to secure a second championship ten years after his first. The two went into Texas deadlocked and despite the now seven point advantage Jimmie Johnson holds, it’s nearly impossible to ascertain who will emerge victorious when the checkered flag falls in Miami.

    Phoenix International Raceway

    Jimmie Johnson vs. Matt Kenseth

    20 starts vs. 22 starts

    6.4 av. finish vs. 17.3 av. finish

    4 wins vs. 1 win

    13 T5’s vs. 5 T5’s

    16 T10s vs. 9 T10’s

    932 laps led vs. 212 laps led

    Homestead Miami Speedway 

    Jimmie Johnson vs. Matt Kenseth

    12 starts vs. 13 starts

    15.3 av. finish vs. 17.6 av. finish

    0 wins vs. 1 win

    4 T5’s vs. 3 T5’s

    7 T10’s vs.5 T10’s

    99 laps led vs. 305 laps led

    The stats say that Jimmie will most likely augment his points lead at Phoenix and that it could go either way at Homestead. As Matt Kenseth has proven on more than one occasion this year though, the stats mean very little in the whole scheme of things now that he’s with JGR. We went to Martinsville and most were ready to just hand 5-time the grandfather clock before the race even commenced but at the end of the day, Kenseth had shocked us all by retaking the points lead after out-performing Johnson in what has become his playground.  At Texas, the pendulum swung back in the 48’s favor and the gap between these future HOF’ers grew to seven points.

    To put it in perspective, Jimmie Johnson didn’t even have one championship to his credit the last time Kenseth won a title nor did the chase even exist so I guess you could say that JGR’s newest edition is starving for another Cup. The way this chase has gone, it seems that every time one of these titans of NASCAR outdoes one, the other steps up to the plate the following weekend evening the score. If that pattern persists, we may see a deadlock at the top of the standings going into the finale; a track the two seem evenly matched at based on previous races.

    I see one of two scenario’s unfolding in the penultimate event at PIR; either Jimmie Johnson extends his points lead by a few markers or Kenseth digs deep and washes away the small, but crucial separation between the two at the moment. Seven points may not seem like a lot (and it isn’t), but check out this stat regarding the 2013 chase…

    Chase Race #1: Matt Kenseth gains 8pts on Jimmie Johnson

    Chase Race #2: Matt Kenseth gains 7pts on Jimmie Johnson

    Chase Race #3: Jimmie Johnson gains 10pts on Matt Kenseth

    Chase Race #4: Jimmie Johnson gains 5pts on Matt Kenseth

    Chase Race #5: Matt Kenseth gains 1pt on Jimmie Johnson

    Chase Race #6: Jimmie Johnson gains 8pts on Matt Kenseth

    Chase Race #7: Matt Kenseth gains 4pts on Jimmie Johnson

    Chase Race #8: Jimmie Johnson gains 7pts on Matt Kenseth

    The largest points swing in this entire chase between Kenseth and Johnson was when Jimmie gained 10 points on Matt at Dover. In my honest opinion, if Matt loses anymore ground at Phoenix, he won’t be able to win the championship without Johnson being plagued by problems with the kind of results these guys have been laying down on a weekly basis. I mean they are making 6th place finishes look like bad days! It is imperative that Kenseth chips at least a couple points off of Jimmie’s lead heading into Homestead where fate will probably have the two stuck together the whole day so if he’s trailing by too much, a win may not even be enough to secure him the crown if his title rival is close by.

    This clash of the titans is sure to come down to the wire and I believe it will be just as epic and riveting as the duel between Stewart and Edwards back in 2011. These two have been performing at a level that everyone, including their own teammates can only dream of and I don’t see either one of these rock solid racers fumbling in the final two events. Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth are interchangeable with their demeanor, their driving style and their raw talent behind the wheel of a race car. They can’t be rattled by mind games, they can’t force the other into a mistake, neither has an obvious weakness or Achilles Heel if you will. They are near infallible. I obviously can’t foretell a mechanical failure or blown tire but I don’t see this one coming down to a foolish mistake by one or the other but rather an on-track battle that ends with one prevailing by the slightest of margins in an enthralling dogfight for the coveted Sprint Cup championship.

     

    Additional notes:

    The stats say that Jimmie will most likely augment his points lead at Phoenix and that it could go either way at Homestead. The odds are certainly in Jimmie’s favor too as Bwin.com see him as their favorite for Sunday’s race. As Matt Kenseth has proven on more than one occasion this year though, the stats mean very little in the whole scheme of things now that he’s with JGR. We went to Martinsville and most were ready to just hand 5-time the grandfather clock before the race even commenced but at the end of the day, Kenseth had shocked us all by retaking the points lead after out-performing Johnson in what has become his playground. At Texas, the pendulum swung back in the 48′s favor and the gap between these future HOF’ers grew to seven points.

  • 2010 Championship Week Preview: Hamlin, Harvick, Johnson gunning for the title

    In recent years, Jimmie Johnson had a three-digit points lead and only needed to finish the race to win yet another Sprint Cup Series title.

    Things have changed — drastically.

    Three guys — Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick and Johnson — are in the running for the championship, which will undoubtedly come down to the final lap of the Ford 400 this weekend.

    [media-credit name=”Getty Images” align=”alignright” width=”400″][/media-credit]Only 15 points separate the top-two drivers in the closest championship battle since the advent of the new points system in 1974. Hamlin, the points leader, can only clinch by winning the race or leading the most laps and finishing second. Otherwise, he will need to outrun Johnson and Harvick.

    “I’m in a good spot knowing that I just have — I can control my own destiny and not have to worry about anything else,” Hamlin said during Thursday’s championship contenders press conference. “If we win the race, it’s a moot point.”

    Johnson has more to overcome than Hamlin’s one victory and three top-five finishes in five starts at Homestead. Since 1975, only two drivers have ever come from behind in the final race to win the title In 1979, Richard Petty won the championship after entering the season finale trailing Darrell Waltrip by two points and most recently in 1992 when Alan Kulwicki overcame a 30-point deficit to beat Davey Allison. Still, Johnson says he is more relaxed coming into the finale than he ever has been.

    “For us, I mean, we have nothing to lose,” Johnson said. “… When you’re defending, your mind starts to change, and you start to think about the ‘what ifs.’ When you’re chasing, it’s more about ‘What do I need to do?’ It’s been a more relaxed week for me, even though I’m down 15 points, than I’ve ever experienced before.”

    Johnson is looking for his fifth straight championship title while Hamlin and Harvick are both looking for their first.

    Storylines:

    At the end of the year banquet held in Las Vegas, the top-ten drivers in the chase will be invited to come up on stage, the 11th and 12th place drivers will not. As Hamlin, Johnson and Harvick battle for the championship, the other end of the chase field is battling to stay in the top-ten. Kurt Busch currently holds the tenth spot, but Clint Bowyer is only five points behind.

    The final race of the 2010 season also means it’s the final opportunity for cars to either gain or lose a spot in the top-35 owner points race. The No. 71 team currently holds a 74-point lead over the No. 38 team, who is in 36th. The first five races of next season will use the top-35 owner points from the end of this season to determine which cars will be guaranteed a starting spot.

    Last year:

    The 2009 Ford 400 was won by Denny Hamlin after Jimmie Johnson, eventual champion, sat on the pole.

    Race information:

    Track: Homestead-Miami Speedway; Homestead, Fla. (1.5-mile oval)
    Date: Sunday, Nov. 21 at 1:00 p.m. ET
    TV: ESPN, 1 p.m. ET (pre-race starting at Noon ET on ESPN2)
    Radio: MRN Radio/Sirius-XM NASCAR Radio 128